Speakers

In progress ...

By sharing some of the many stories Jim has heard from his personal experiences hosting Death Cafés and volunteering with Final Exit Network, he hopes attendees will be inspired to become more comfortable discussing this stigmatized topic. He spent much of his life not realizing that he was death ignorant, likely in death denial, and desperately in need of death education. He has learned that the more conversations and the more planning, the greater solace one can achieve, the deeper appreciation of  life’s preciousness, as well as leaving a generous gift to our grateful, grieving loved ones. 

In progress ...

Alec Scott will speak about the institutions that have helped make San Francisco San Francisco. The remit of his book, Oldest San Francisco (Reedy Press) was to identify the oldest businesses, cultural organizations, charities in the city -- and to try to tell the city's story through those. Here are potted histories of some Gold Rush-era businesses and non-profits -- the oldest restaurant (Tadich Grill), bakery (Boudin), hardware store (Center) and children's charity (Edgewood). The city's longtime obsession with food is reflected in short profiles of San Francisco's oldest chocolate maker (Ghirardelli) and on the taquerias that helped introduce and popularize the Mission Burrito. Here are the stories of America's first non-sectarian free clinic (the Haight-Ashbury), its first proper senior center, and the oldest (and now last remaining) cable car. A short talk about some of the institutions that have given San Francisco its distinctive feel. 

In progress ...